Then and Now
by Not a sexual predator
Summary: A small story about the decay of time, about the end of 'the good old days' and the change that shatters friendships. Laughs guaranteed! The first text I ever wrote. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
1. My Friend

As the moon flashed between the clouds, and the cold wind of the north made it's way into the small cave, Siegfried slowly opened his eyes. His tub's water, once almost boiling, was now cold, holding the remains of heat that were fading away. As he slowly pulled himself out of the ridiculously small wooden tub, a chill ran through his back from the cold temperature of the cave.

Siegfried, naked, looks around his only property. The small cave, barely illuminated by the dying fire of the forge and a few torches he placed on the walls gave him a sensation of home. The cave has a rather rectangular form, and was divided in two clusters, separated with convenient round holes. The first cluster, where he was standing, was the living quarter. It's a small instance, composed by the tub he was in at the back, a wooden bed to his left which blankets were mostly animal pelts, and a rather small square wooden table, which has lost it's color and now displays a dying brown color. On top of it lies a bread, and a bottle of Fire beer.. A chair lies next to the table, as old as the table, but definately not in the same set nor style. Behind the chair stands a big wooden cupboard, which drawers doors have been removed, and now show the peculiar collection of dishes and cutlery, most of them from different colors of wood, some of them metal, and some of pottery. To his right, a big board covers the entire wall. Different job offers are scattered around it, linked with linen thread of different colors from one another. Notes written by him are what really stands out, both because of the beautiful calligraphy, and by the size of the letters.

Siegfried sighs, and ventures towards the bed leaving a trail of water behind him, as he is wet from head to toes. He crouches, pulling a wooden rectangular case from below it, scraping the floor as he does so. He opens it, and looks inside as his hair and beard drip water into the multiple clothing items that are held inside, which Siegfried does not hesitate to scavenge between in order to find a cotton towel that almost looks like a rag. After finding it, he places it on top of his head, and closes the case, pushing it back where it came from. He stands up, heading towards the other cluster.

The second cluster of the cave consists roughly the 70% percent of the cave, and it's purpose is easily discovered upon sight. The forge stands in the middle, with a dying fire inside it. Siegfried looks at the anvil that lies to the right of the forge, and the hammer on top of it. Next to the anvil lies the slack tub against the wall, with the water almost gone from previous uses. The rest of the cluster is filled with large wooden tables, on top of which lie several armors and shields, most of them broken or heavily damaged. At the back of the forge the moon can be seen through the entrance, shyly peeking through the dark clouds around it, that are being carried away by the midnight's wind in a rush.

Siegfried heads to the entrance, as he uses the short towel to dry his hair, and looks outside. The woods below move with the wind, the leaves struggling to hold it's grip to the branches, like rejecting the fact that winter is already here. A fox can be heard in the distance, howling with a rather high pitched tone. The path down the entrance is slowly eroding, as the wind fights to take the soil away, like if it was trying to prove something.

Siegfried now proceeds to dry his beard, ignoring the fact that he is both naked and at the mercy of the harsh temperatures of the night. After making sure his beard and hair are dry enough, he proceeds inside while drying his body with the now soaked towel, that now not only looks like a rag, but also smells like it. He goes to the living cluster, and after searching into the case below the bed, dresses up with the first items he finds.

He then proceeds to sit on the chair, sitting on it carelessly of the wood's scream for help due to his weight, and breaks the bread in two, taking a bite of the hard and old bread partition. As he struggles to chew the rock that calls itself bread, he opens the bottle of Fire beer and takes a sip of the spicy drink inside, helping him chew. As he leans back on the chair, still chewing the old bread, he remembers the good meals his companion Ryuk used to make, most of them meats from diverse animals, including boars, bears, wolves, and if he was lucky, cats. She has been with him for years now, helping him find peace and to hold his sometimes brutal characteristics at bay. From the day the met, till now, 4 years had passed.

"_It was a beautiful day of Summer, around noon. The sun was high on the clear blue sky, with no sight of a cloud nearby, as if they were afraid to face the unbeable heat. The Tower District was almost empty, as most people were either sleeping the heat off, or working inside their shops, safe from the sun. Siegfried was walking through the tight streets, looking for a tavern in which to rest from the long journey. He felt the sweat under his plate armor running down his body, making him feel highly uncomfortable as it did not seem something a 'True Man' would experience. After taking a turn to the right, he noticed a big building on a small hill, almost looking like a Oasis in an infinite desert. It was clearly a tavern, not only for the laughter and loud chatter that came from inside, nor the big sign in which the name of the stablishment was written, but mostly to the multiple individuals regretting drinking too much that were in front of the tavern, having a bad time digesting the fact that they were vomiting the whole ammount of alcohol they just drank, and that their wives would happily torture them after finding out they have been wasting the day between whores' boobs. Neither way, he felt relief to have found his oasis, and quickly headed for the entrance._

_Opening the door was a big mistake. The chatter heard from the outside was nothing compared to the screams emanating from the people of the overpopulated tavern, trying to communicate desperetely. It was even hard to think. But that was not the worse part: the smell hit him shortly after. There was no word to describe the foul stench that flooded the taven, but a combination of poorly washed armpits and fresh vomit would be a good approach, without counting the horrific smell that was probably coming from the junk of a dozen prostitutes. Despite all these unpleasant details, Siegfried headed inside, pushing his way through the crowd, most of them being commoners, merchants, or simply boozers. The tavern was circular, and had two floors. In the middle stood the bar, and to it's sides some round stairs towards the second floor. The rest of the space was taken by tables filled with folk, causing the remaining customers to stand on foot on the back of the tavern._

_The long and exhausting journey to the counter came to an end eventually, finally able to see the last amount of people that stood between him and his drink. Seeing the bar was overpopulated, he quickly spotted a boozer that was simply lying on the far right side, holding his pottery flaggon tightly with his hand, not being able to accept the fact that he can't take anymore as his stomach is already full, and that he'll have to return to work under the nightmarish sun. Siegfried approached him, and placed his hand on his shoulder, causing the boozer to open his eyes, and barely look at Siegfried's comforting smile, which for a moment made him feel better. That quickly changed when Siegfried pulled his shoulder backwards, making the man slide off the bar and loosing balance from both the strenght of the pull and the ongoing effect of the multiple drinks he has had. He somehow managed to spin to avoid falling on his back, which seemed important at the moment. Fortunately for him, the tavern was way too overpopulated for him to fall on the ground, so instead he landed between a whore's breasts, who was surprised for a moment, but then realiced she had a customer to rob in some alley, so she simply laughs and pushed the boozer's face deeper between the two mountains that were her breasts. It was then when the man's stomach gave up, and decided to spill the contents ingested in the tavern, the breakfast, and part of last night's dinner through one of the two possible exits. Seeing both options would be fatal for the poor man, the stomach seems to give him a bit of dignity, and spilled it's contents through the man's mouth, directly between the whore's sweaty breasts, which was followed shortly after by a high pitched scream from the woman, as she felt the hot substance on her skin, and falling down under her dress towards the stomach's corset._

_Siegfried, now positioned on the bar, raised his hand towards the barman, who turned out to be a half-orc, but being as ugly as a full one. He ordered a beer, as long as it was dwarven, and was inmediately served a pottery flagoon filled with a foaming beer, to which Siegfried did not hesitate to attack fiercely, drinking half of the beer before even realizing the foul taste of the beer, which seem to explain part of the tavern's stentch. Even so, the drink felt good, as it was rather cold, and therefore refreshing. _

"_...he's not going to make it. Just you watch." _

_Siegfried heard the comment coming from the left, and identified the speaker as a half-elf dressed as a simple farmer. He turned to the left, leaning his heavy plate armor on the bar, and looking towards the scene the half-efl and his human friend were watching. He quickly realiced what they were talking about. A young girl was a few seats away from them, sitting on a stool in a refined stance, while she stirs the wine inside an abnormaly clean glas, using the other hand to hold her head as her elbow was resting on the bar. She had straight long dark hair, and perfect face features. Her clothes were mostly made of leather, fitting perfectly, and showing smooth curves of the body below it. To her left, a Sun Elf was giving his best trying to caught her attention, as he's been ignored completely by the beautyful woman, without success. He did not last long, as she simply continued stiring the wine. He returned to the Half-efl and the human next to Siegfried, not saying a word and simply extending his hand towards the human, and opening it to reveal a silver coin._

_The human takes it laughing, and watching the beaten Elf heading to the exit, now knowing he is not as irresistible as his mother usually told him. _

_Not wasting a moment, Siegfried took part of the coversation, as both free coin and a woman for the day is not a bad combination at all. _

"_I bet I can get her in 30 seconds." - Said Siegfried with his tenor voice, giving a new meaning to the expression "loud and proud". The Half-elf looked back, with raised eyebrows and gave Siegfried a quick look from top to bottom, turning to his human friend, in order to release an almost histerical laugh. Seeing that Siegfried's expression did not change, they stop laughing suddenly, and after cleaning cleaning his throat, the half-elf talks._

"_The bet is finding out her name, but seeing your enthusiasm, I'll bet you a quarter gold." - The half-elf smirks, knowing that he'll never make it. Seeing Siegfried's determination, his smile slowly fades away, as he now realices that he does not have that amount of money._

_Siegfried looks at the woman once more, and proceeds towards her, grabbing his flagoon with him._

_Ryuk, sick of this tavern, it's smell, and above all, every drunk man who thinks he has a chance just by talking of the amount of pigs he owns, or how dangerous selling arrows is. She sighs, and takes a sip of her wine, which is actually nice and well made. As she places the glass down, and readies herself to stand up, she caughs a glimse of someone approaching. As she turns her head to the right, she is inmediately amazed by the man's apparence. A tall, blond man, with blue eyes, in a big shining plate armor, walking slowly towards her with a serious expression, holding a pottery flagoon in his right hand. His long hair partially covers his face, and the rest is covered by a well fashioned beard, but even then she realices he is as handsome, and as perfect as the tales of knighs she always loved. As he approached, her heart began to beat heavily inside her chest, and her stomach seemed to have shrinked under the man's gaze. He was obviously coming towards her, so she swallowed the wine, and cleared her throat in order to accept the courship that was about to take place._

_Siegfried arrives next to the woman, who is staring at him with a slightly open mouth. He decides knows what to do, so he displays his best smile as he places the flagoon next to her glass, and leaning sideways on the bar, as close to her as possible, feeling as his greaves slightly graze her knees. He then proceeds to seduce her, with his loud and proud voice, a mistake Ryuk ignores._

"_Hello, woman." - Siegfried's bad choice of words confuse Ryuk for a moment, but she is still caught into the man's gaze, so she ignores it._

"_What's your name?" - Ryuk realices the poor introduction of the man before her was a simple mistake, and now the tale of the damsel and the knight continues as it should, despite the peculiat way of communication that the man uses. _

"_It's Ryuk..." - Siegfried, satisfied with the result, slowly turns his head back, towards the amazed half-elf and his friend, who are looking at him while searching for a word to describe the awe. Siegfried returns his gaze towards Ryuk, not being able to resist to quickly inspect the woman's body, which seems even better than before. _

"_Tell me, Ryuk. Would you like something to drink?" - Ryuk tilts her head lightly, not wanting the image of the man before her to fade away like if it was a dream. She blushes slightly at the mental image of the man's body, as he carries her towards the sunset while reciting a poem for her, as they live in a palace and she is surrounded by luxuries he buys for her every day, and he brings her fresh flowers every morning, waking her up with a gentle kiss that tastes like berries..._

"_No? Well, let's get a room and have some fun together. I might even let you touch my pectorals." - Siegfried just finished his sentence, as he felt the swift palm of the woman hitting the left side of the face, making him turn it towards the bar. Caught by surprise, he does not move, but tries to think of the motive of this attack. Suddenly, he sees the woman's left hand grab his flagoon, and before he can react a severe blow to the head greets him, as the pottery flagoon breaks against his head, spiling the dwarven beer on his head. His upper body falls on top of the bar, mostly due to the surprise, and he simply stays there, thinking. He hears laughter to his right, and slowly pushes himself up, looking at the left where the woman once was, and then turning towards the laughter._

_The half-elf and his human friend, among some boozers with their respective whores are laughing almost histerically, holding each other in order to avoid falling. He sighs, and realices that he lost the bet, the woman, the beer, and the coins. After a quick beating to the half-elf and his friend, which caused the rest of the amused crowd to quickly dissipate between the population of the tavern, he gave the coins to the half-elf, now lying on the floor with broken nose and hands, and left._

Siegfried swallows the hard bread with the help of the Fire beer, and looks down at the rest of the disgusting meal. He stands up, leaving the bread on top of the table, and goes to the next cluster in search of his armor. After a complete inspection on it, and the whole process of putting it on, he returns to the table, and takes the fire beer bottle with him, to calm his hunger on the long journey to the nearest village.


	2. My Lover

The moon was now gone, covered by the thick layer of grey clouds that rush in the sky, being carried away by the unceasing winter wind. The old trees protested with their cracking, as their trunk was being lashed by the penetrating cold of Nightal, roughly a week before the end of the year. The tiny amount of light that managed to filter itself between the clouds and through the nude branches of the forest above only served to give a sad greyish light to the enviroment, almost if the forest itself was a mere vision in an endless fog. No type of life form was present in the forest, excluding the curious owls who stalked from the high branches in order to spot their meal.

In that same forest, the sound of a rythmical horse trot echoed in the night, to which a metal clacking was responding at a regular pace. The light of a torch flashes in the eyes of a curious owl, whose response is a growl due to the fear of his nearby nest being attacked, which does not happen, as the torch, the figure holding it, and the white horse quickly trot away. The owl, safe once more, returns to his vigilance, spotting a movement in a bush in the opposite tree's roots. It is then when it opens it's wings, and pushes himself off the branch, diving towards it's defenseless victim, in this case a rat.

Siegfried feels the cold but fresh air of the night filling his lungs, giving him an old sensation of peace and happiness, as if he was back on his teenager years lost in the woods with mud on his face as disguise, stalking a bear and raising his sword high above his head before delivering a death blow, breaking the sword into pieces. This old nostalgic feeling caused him to take deep breaths, and exhale slowly, almost as if he was meditating. Despite the calm around him, he was not calm at all. He was not sure what it was, but was most likely either the highly disturbing silence of the night, the obvious nervousness of his horse displayed by his constant growls and head shakes, or by the incredible hunger he was feeling, despite the Fire beer he drank as soon as he left the cave.

Despite all this, the journey continued. Siegfried's thoughts must have been taken over by the hunger he was trying so desperately to control, as he turned his torso to the right, raising his left had which holds the torch up high, and using his right hand to deliver a quick spank to his horses' thigh with an open hand. The sound caused by this sounded like a whip, and the horse seem to have though it was as it increased it's speed, causing the environment around them to become a simple blur. Siegfried, happy with the result, quickly grabbed the seat to avoid falling, as the road was not exactly perfect, but covered with constant obstacles such as branches and rocks and slopes. But nor Siegfried nor his horse had any intention to slow down. Siegfried looked down on the white horse he was mounting, his perfect mane so carefully preserved by Ryuk, and his clear-cut muscles. He remembers the days he bought it, which happened to be the first days he worked with Ryuk.

"_As summer was almost over, the heat was almost gone. During the day the temperatures were quite pleasant, always together with the sun in the sky, resembled by general happiness of the population, as they gathered all the harvest in their respective warehouses making jelly, alcohol, or a pie, which always brought neighbors and ended up in a small feast as a offering for the Gods' good luck. But during the night, the wind was slightly colder,causing both sadness and nostalgia, as the Winter is coming, and it's bite will be as merciless as each year. Despite this, people were still working hard on their tasks, as Highharvestide was nearby, and if the crops died, the winter would be even harder._

_The sun would soon hide in the horizon, and Rothe Valley was painted in a beautiful mixture of blue from the night sky and red from the now weak sun, still strong enough to paint the dispersed clouds above. Two months had passed since Siegfried met Ryuk in that awful tavern, and against the odds became companions. Siegfried still does not understand why, but neither does Ryuk. Perhaps she is still a kid inside, seeing the legendary knight who saves the princess in him, instead of the stubborn and rude man inside. This being the case, it would explain the sudden interest of Ryuk in searching for that same man that once delighted her with the worst pick-up line she has ever heard, counting those fat guards that tried bribing her parents to marry her in exchange of some pigs. It was no use thinking about it, as every time she did the rage was reborn inside once again. The fact is that this very man she loves and hates at the same time offered a generous offer for her services, so generous that she couldn't reject. In exchange, she'd just have to heal him with his divine magic in order to fulfill the most 'manliest' tasks around, and would even get a big percentage of the rewards. _

_The preparations were almost done, except the last thing: a horse for Siegfried. He used to have an old mare, which could barely walk by itself, and ended up dying about two week ago as Siegfried displayed his new armor for the Tower District's commoners. It was pretty sad. The poor mare walked as slowly as a legless man that was showing his limbs in order to get enough money to obviously get drunk once more, and it couldn't even open her eyes completely. It was then when she stopped, and simply stood there despite his rider fury unleashing in the form of constant spanks in_

_her thigh, creating a burn in both the hand and the thigh. As Siegfried was about to dismount, the poor mare simply fell forward, hitting her head against the soil ground, followed by Siegfried flipping down and falling on his ass, a comical scene that was happily laughed at by the pedestrians. Ryuk still remembers the scene to Siegfried, mostly to annoy him or as she complains for his abusive orders._

_The stable-master was an old man, which hair seemed to have decided to migrate from his head to his face, displaying an almost magnificent grayish wild beard. His name is a mystery, as Siegfried does not remember almost any names and Ryuk was focused entirely on the disturbing beard, which she openly discussed with Siegfried afterwards. He showed his extensive collection of horses, including big intimidating monsters that didn't look like horses at all, to the cutest ponies that girls would kill to have, in vain. Siegfried is a stubborn man, who had his eyes fixed on a donkey that was simply standing by a well, knowing that he'd get the same result with a much lesser waste of coin. It was quite obvious, which was greeted with the desperation of the stable-master, and a quick drag by Ryuk, who tried to convince him in private, which she achieved with the help of the voice of reason, composed of the words 'horse' and 'manly' in the same sentence, and the reinforcement which took form of a slap. Satisfied with her arguments, Ryuk asked to see the finest horse the stable-master had._

_It was then when the stable-master delivered the most beautiful horse he had. A white stallion, as big as it gets, with the finest mane Siegfried and Ryuk had ever seen, and the obviously proud movements of it, as if the horse knew that it was unique. Somehow, the horse reminded Ryuk of Siegfried, as the stallion fought the stable-master all the way to them, almost dragging the stable-master away. It was the obvious choice, although Siegfried was not really convinced, demonstrating it by a furtive gaze towards the donkey, almost like a warning. Still, he decided to buy the horse. The first encounter with his new horse was a disaster, as Siegfried tried to inspect his head by holding the horses' jaw, to which the horse replied with a bite, and Siegfried with a slap across his horse face. Being as stubborn as he is, he tried mounting it when they obviously didn't like each other, but despite the resistance that the horse offered, he managed to take a seat on him. If the stable-master hadn't saddled the horse up, Siegfried would have left by foot, and with a noticeable lack of gold in his pouch. But he was still not welcome to mount him, as the horse did not stop rearing. _

_In that moment, as the silhouette of the rearing stallion and the shape of Siegfried's armor and long hair just stood in the middle of the dying sun of the horizon, Ryuk realized that both beast and raider were one, as they shared the same majestic looks but in the end they were as stubborn as the donkey who refused to move despite the old womans' cursing. Unfortunately for Ryuk, realizing that also brought a feeling of lust towards the raider of the stallion, despite her attempts to remember the true nature of Siegfried. Once again, it was in vain, and would result in a sexual encounter in the campfire they set for the night on their way to the Neverwinter Woods, one that she would regret every time Siegfried spoke, especially as he refereed to her as 'woman'. Still, she was in love with the looks of him, and would occasionally succumb to those same desires over the course of the four years they have known each other._

_Now they were ready to continue with their journey to the Neverwinter Forest, in order to accomplish their first bounty together. Night was soon going to be complete, and the roads were barely illuminated by their torches. Siegfried and his horse seemed to have made peace, as if accepted that they would spend endless amount of time together from that moment forward._

"_How about giving him a name"? - Ryuk suggested, mostly to make some conversation instead of watching the now boring landscape, decorated with scattered trees on the endless fields around them._

"_He has a name. It's Horse." - Replied Siegfried instantly, not looking away from the road ahead, as if in any moment an ambush of bandits would fall upon them._

"_Horse, that's his name?" - Ryuk was once again surprised of the stupidity that Siegfried showed sometimes, and had a certain need to face-palm, which helped digest it._

"_Of course." - Siegfried showed his proud smile, mostly to himself. Sometimes it was hard to imagine how things worked in his head, but Ryuk had learned to not think about it as it usually brought a headache._

_A few days later, they finally arrived to their destination. The Neverwinter Woods didn't look any different from any other forest to Ryuk. The tree were tall, true, but nothing else seemed extraordinary, not counting the multiple legends based on them. Nevertheless, they established their camp in a small clearing a few kilometers into the forest, away from all the roads. It was pretty simple: two big tents next to each other, a campfire a few meters from the entrance and some hay for Horse, which name was still being discussed. The food was provided by Siegfried, who every morning woke up before dawn and brought a good bunch of nourishments, those being either a boar, a dozen squirrels, or different wild fruits. _

_The bounty seemed pretty simple: three brothers have caused mayhem in various taverns, becoming every time more violent and eventually leading to the death of a barmaid, two guards, and the rape of several women scattered around the area. Their names were Olaf, Victorr, and their leader Kurki, which was the most brutal. It was common knowledge that their base was in a cave not far from their current camp, but no bounty-hunters ever returned from it. Still, Siegfried was pretty interested in the job, and Ryuk had no saying in his decisions. She tried discussing several times the plan they were going to follow, to which Siegfried always replied: "Go in, deal with them, and leave"._

_The day finally arrived, and they were standing in front of the cave entrance. Ryuk was obviously nervous, as looking inside the dark cave made her shiver, but not Siegfried. Instead, he was happily devouring some berries he had collected that morning, eating them as loudly as if the berries were metal plates. He finally let out a sigh, and proceed to equip the heavy shield he was so proud of. He then carelessly walked into the cave, without even drawing the sword he carried, like if this was a simple walk instead of a manhunt. Ryuk gasped in awe, but still followed him. The cave was pretty big despite it's look: it held a forge on the left, a big rectangular table with a dozen chairs around it in the middle, fully decorated living quarters to the right, and a big collection of weapons, trophies and treasures in the back, which sight was blocked by the three beds of the brothers, who obviously liked sleeping next to that most precious to them. On those beds lied the ruffians, who didn't really seemed aware of their presence, and obviously didn't have the brains to establish a night watch schedule or to wake up before noon. _

_Ryuk smiled at their luck, being able to finish the three brothers without even having to fight. Seemed it was all too easy, like if this was free coin for them, that would maybe allow them to buy another horse to carry all the equipment instead of overcharging her horse, and perhaps even being able to purchase a new spell book in order to improve her magical knowledge, as magic was not cheap, and even less without an Academy or Master to provide and guide her. Yes, it was a real luck, and hopefully all the-_

"_I am Siegfried Friedmann, and I've come to challenge you!" -Siegfried exclaimed, loud enough for the three brothers to completely wake up, pick a weapon from the big pile of treasures they slept with, and ready their stance, completely running the surprise element. Ryuk had a hard time digesting what just happened, and limited to look with eyes as big and round like dishes towards Siegfried. "Fight or die, it's your choice."_

_The brothers immediately reacted. The one on the right, who had a large pole arm as a weapon, didn't hesitate to rush towards Siegfried, letting out a battle cry that would have scarred even a pack of wolves. The one on the left followed his brother by the opposite side of the cave, armed with a golden maul, which despite it's luxury still looked pretty intimidating. Ryuk instinctively stepped back instinctively, but Siegfried did not. Instead, he readied his guard, preparing for the incoming attack from the pole arm, shoving his knee on the hard rock of the cave's ground, and raising his shield just enough so he can still see his opponents' movements. _

_The man with the pole arm, who still was shouting in rage against the trespassers, noticed Siegfried's guard, so he raised his pole arm on high in order to deliver a quick stab over Siegfried's shield, hopefully hitting either the neck or chest and killing him instantly. As he was about to thrust his pole arm down, Siegfried reacted by standing up with a jump and raising his left arm quickly, despite the shield's weight, and hitting the ruffian in plain face with the edge of the shield, sending him into the air and therefore falling on his back, the pole arm flying over the room to fall on top of the table in the middle of the cave, and taking his hands to cover the severe hemorrhage that his face was suffering. Meanwhile, the man on the left had made a significant progress, and was about to deliver a side sweep against Siegfried's back, using the moment his fellow ruffian had provided with his nose. As the blow was flying, Siegfried suddenly turned to the left, hitting the maul against his shield, and despite the strong impact of the maul against it, he managed to deflect it. The ruffian and his weapon were knocked lightly to the right, turning around his feet as the maul's weight was in control now despite it's attempts to steady it. Siegfried then used his right foot to trip the man down by doing a kick movement behind the man's left foot, raising it up and causing the man to fall on his back, and immediately after stomping his head with the heavy plate boots, to which the ruffian replied with a painful grunt and eventually going silent as he lost consciousness. _

_The man on the middle, who was holding two daggers not a moment ago, was now running while muttering something towards the pile of treasures, perhaps thinking that hiding was the best option. He did not run long, as Siegfried flew straight across the room like a disk, hitting his neck and immediately breaking it. The man gasps lightly, and falls on the pile of treasures, with his arms and legs wide open as if a supernatural being had just smited him with his whole rage. Siegfried headed towards him, and instead of finishing the job, he simply took the shield and placed it on his back. Afterwards he ordered Ryuk to begin the treatment of the ruffian with the broken neck, which she refused at first but eventually did. After ensuring Siegfried that the three of them would survive, he stopped the treatment and proceed to tie them up, naked, and deliver them to the Neverwinter Guard, responsible for the reward. It sounded weird to Ryuk, as Siegfried seemed like the one that kills its victims and then threw the heads into a bag. But she realized that this was somehow worse, when she saw the mechanism that ensured the men from not escaping. There were too many pieces, most of them of wood and the rest from forged metal that Siegfried had prepared. The objective of it was simple: if the ruffians did not manage to keep their arms raised horizontally, small blades would rupture into their arm pits, and would cause both pain and eventually death. _

_The journey back was now quite sad, as the three ruffians moaned and cried all the way from both the mechanism, which had exhausted their arms, and their certain death on hands of their victims or the rope. The fact that they were naked was a plus, and even more when they had no other choice but to urinate or defecate on the move. Ryuk felt sorry for them, thinking that death would have been something they now wish and desire, but that was not coming. They arrived after two days non-stop to a small village in which the three brothers had caused mayhem the last time._

_Somehow, it went smooth. Siegfried tied them together by the feet and hands, he removed the mechanism, and took the gold from the so-called mayor. All this under the gaze of the whole population and the visitors of others, which had heard that the scum they hated so much had been captured and were now defenseless and pathetic, and the silence that expressed the fact that something horrible was coming in the ruffians' next hours. _

_They left pretty quickly as Siegfried advised, leaving the population to do as they wished with the brothers. Ryuk knew that it was all planned, as the villagers had payed them less than the bounty, and that they would be able to get benefits upon giving the brothers into justice, but they also had the chance to administer justice themselves. It was scary. Ryuk realized her services were destinated towards Siegfried's victims, and that only brought respect and fear towards him. _

Siegfried couldn't help himself, and smiled at the fond memories. Those were good days, as him and Ryuk were close and ready to prove their worth. Despite his refusal, he knew that those days were over, and shadows had replaced them. The message he received from Ryuk could only be bad news. Soon he would know, as the village was not far away, and would hopefully arrive before the snow decided to give up, and fall down like a frost bite. Horse had not slowed down since he left his cave, which proved that Ryuk was right about buying it.

In that very moment, the snow started falling.


End file.
